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“It’s the community that really hangs it all together,” says Jim Berry, of Robot Garden.

Jim, who is both treasurer and Head Maker in this nonprofit community workshop, is also a drone pilot. As pandemic restrictions lift, he’s seeing Robot Garden rebuild its level of community among makers, educators, startups, students and hobbyists.

Robot Garden may be the world’s first robot-themed maker space. With classes, workshops and community “fix-it clinics”, they’re introducing the next generation of creators to the skills needed for a future job market.

Since they’re located at Livermore Municipal Airport, Jim says, part of Robot Garden’s rental agreement is their emphasis on drones and aviation. However, a number of other robot-focused projects are happening, as well. Among the participants are nonprofit community organizations like Explorer Posts, as well as tech startups–not to mention parents and kids learning together.

Like to support them? If you’re local to the area, they’d like some volunteers for their free “fix-it clinics” and other community activities. High school students are especially encouraged, as they mentor and teach technical skills to the next generation.

And if you’d like to see something fun, check out the videos of their Mars rovers, on their YouTube channel!

Jim talked about his experience with Robot Garden, explained their setup and current activities and shared his vision for the future.

On this edition of Over Coffee we cover:

• How Jim first became involved in robotics;

• What led to his interest in drones;

• The story of Robot Garden;

• An imaginary “walk” through the facility;

• What one of the startups plans to accomplish with drones;

• Some of the types of 3D printing involved in robot creation;

• Current trends with 3D printing in the aviation industry;

• A closer look at the different types of robots and robot-related activities at Robot Garden;

• Some of the pros and cons of AI;

• How their community is preparing youth for the careers of the future;

• The story behind the origin of a tool commonly used in creating robots;

• The “arts” aspect of robot creation;

• One project which illustrates this concept!;

• How Jim makes robotics relatable to people who feel they “aren’t technical”;

• What he’s considered the most “fun” part of his work at Robot Garden in the past six months;

• Upcoming activities at Robot Garden;

• Robot-related resources for anyone not in the immediate area;

• A vision for the future.